Object dispenser apparatus

ABSTRACT

An object dispenser apparatus for dispensing individual products for use without users touching products to be used by others. The object dispenser apparatus includes a housing including an elongated container having an open top and adapted to store lids therein and also having a tray in communication with the container for dispensing lids from the container; and an actuator assembly disposed in the housing for dispensing the lids one-at-a-time from the container to the tray.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of the U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 16/122,922 filed on Sep. 6, 2018, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to product dispensers and more particularly pertains to a new object dispenser apparatus for dispensing individual products for use without users touching products to be used by others.

Description of the Prior Art

The use of product dispensers is known in the prior art. More specifically, product dispensers heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.

The prior art includes a dispensing apparatus including a load platform having a main floor on which to place a stack of lids and also having a parallelogram mechanism mounted to move in a linear direction forward to a dispense position and rearward to a home position. Another prior art includes a dispensing device for beverage cup lid including an externally threaded central rotary rod attached to a direct drive bidirectional electrical motor and suspended within a lid cabinet with a stacked plurality of lids retained upon the rotary rod through a central bore in each lid, the lids urged downward by a traveling press plate. Also, another prior art includes a mechanism for separating individual, tapered rimless container parts in timed sequence from a vertical stack of such parts and wherein separable support fingers underlie the peripheral edge of the lowermost part and a continuously revolved actuator controls a spring-powered striker member which is periodically released to engage the fingers with sufficient momentum to spread them enough to let the lowermost part fall beyond the fingers which are then immediately returned to original position to underlie and receive the also descending next lowermost part. Further, another prior art includes a housing, shaft assemblies and a lid dispensing mechanism. Each shaft assembly includes a shaft that extends from a base of the housing, a lid shelf that supports at least a bottom-most lid in the lid stack area and a drive gear about its shaft so that rotation of the drive gear causes rotation of the associated shaft and lid shelf. While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new object dispenser apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new object dispenser apparatus which has many of the advantages of the product dispensers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new object dispenser apparatus which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art product dispensers, either alone or in any combination thereof. The present invention includes a housing including an elongated container having an open top and adapted to store lids therein and also having a tray in communication with the container for dispensing lids from the container; and an actuator assembly disposed in the housing for dispensing the lids one-at-a-time from the container to the tray. None of the prior art includes the combination of the elements of the present invention.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the object dispenser apparatus in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new object dispenser apparatus which has many of the advantages of the product dispensers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new object dispenser apparatus which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art product dispensers, either alone or in any combination thereof.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new object dispenser apparatus for dispensing, individual product for use without users touching product to be used by others.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new object dispenser apparatus that eliminates the transmission of germs to products used with foods and drinks.

Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new object dispenser apparatus that prevents product waste and thus reduces cost transferred to the users.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a new object dispenser apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side edge elevation view of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the actuator assembly present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the actuator assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the third embodiment of the actuator assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partial side cross-sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 9 thereof, a new object dispenser apparatus embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 9, the object dispenser apparatus 10 generally comprises a housing 11 having a top wall 12 including an elongated container 13 having an open top 14 and adapted to store objects 44 therein and also having a tray 15 in conventional communication with the container 13 for dispensing the objects 44 from the container 13; and an actuator assembly 16 disposed in the housing 11 for dispensing the objects 44 one-at-a-time from the container 13 to the tray 15. The tray 15 is conventionally attached to and extends outwardly from the container 13 and is slanted downwardly from the open top 14 of the container 13 to facilitate sliding of the lids 44 for access by a user.

The actuator assembly 16 includes a biased element 17 disposed in the container 13 for biasing the lids 44 to the open top 14 of the container 13 and also includes an elongated object engagement member 18 adapted to engage and move the lids 44 to the tray 15. The actuator assembly 16 further includes an actuator 19 conventionally disposed upon the housing 11 for actuating the object engagement member 18. The actuator 19 is a motion sensor. The actuator assembly 16 also includes a controller 20 such as a circuit board in conventional communication with the motion sensor 19 and a power source and with the object engagement member 18 for controlling the object engagement member 18 into engagement with the lids 44.

The actuator assembly 16 further includes a track member 21 conventionally conventionally attached to and depending from the top wall 12 in the housing 11 and disposed perpendicular to the container 13, and also includes a object engagement motor 22 in conventional communication with the controller 20 and conventionally connected to the object engagement member 18 and having a rotatable shaft 23 with a cogged wheel 24 conventionally mounted to the rotatable shaft 23 and movable upon the track member 21 to linearly move the object engagement member 18. Upon detection of motion by the motion sensor 19, a signal such as an electric signal or a wireless signal is sent to the controller 20 which actuates the object engagement motor 22 effecting engagement of the object engagement member 18 to the lid 44 at the open top 14 of the container 13 and moving the lid 44 onto the tray 15. The housing 11 has a projecting member 25 conventionally depending from the top wall 12 into the housing 11 adjacent to the container 13. The elongated object engagement member 18 has an enlarged portion 26 disposed thereabout and intermediate thereof and being in contactable relationship with the projecting member 25 to move the object engagement member 18 downwardly into engagement with the lid 44 at the open top 14 of the container 13 and to lift the lid 44 out of the container 13.

The object engagement member 18 has a proximate end 27 which is rotatably and conventionally coupled to the object engagement motor 22 and also has a distal end 28 having a prong 29 conventionally disposed perpendicular to the object engagement member 18 and adapted to extend into the lid 44 at the open top 14 of the container 13 and rotate the lid 44.

As a second embodiment, the object engagement member 18 has a proximate end 27 conventionally connected to the object engagement motor 22 and has a distal end 28 with a suction cup 30 conventionally attached thereto. The actuator assembly 16 also includes an air pump 31 disposed in the housing 11 and being in conventional communication with the controller 20 and further includes an air conduit 32 conventionally interconnecting the air pump 31 to the suction cup 30 to pump air from the suction cup 30 so that the suction cup 30 engages the lid 44 at the open top 14 of the container 13.

As a third embodiment, the object engagement member 18 has a proximate end 27 conventionally connected to the object engagement motor 22 and has a distal end 28 with a threaded bit 33 rotatably disposed in and through the distal end 28 and adapted to engage with the lid 44 at the open top 14 of the container 13. The actuator assembly 16 also includes a bit motor 34 disposed in the housing 11 and being in conventional communication with the threaded bit 33 for the rotation thereof. The bit motor 34 has a rotatable drive shaft 35 and is also in conventional communication with the controller 20. The actuator assembly 16 further includes a bit wheel 36 conventionally engaged about the threaded bit 33 and also includes a drive wheel 37 conventionally disposed about the drive shaft 35 for rotation therewith and further includes an endless belt 38 carried about the drive wheel 37 and the bit wheel 36.

As a fourth embodiment, the actuator assembly 16 includes an object engagement shaft 39 pivotally disposed in the housing with the object engagement member 18 conventionally mounted to the object engagement shaft 39. The object engagement member 18 has a proximate end 27 conventionally mounted to the object engagement shaft 39 and has a distal end 28 engagable with an outer edge 45 of the lid 44 at the open top 14 of the container 13 to flip the lid 44 onto the tray 15. The distal end 28 of the object engagement member 18 has an upturned lip 40 to effectively engage the outer edge 45 of the lid 44 at the open top 14 of the container 13. The actuator assembly 16 also includes a lever 43 conventionally and rotatably mounted to the object engagement shaft 39 and further includes a piston motor 41 disposed in the housing 11 and having a piston 42 movable relative to the piston motor 41 and engagable with the lever 43 to rotate the lever 43 which pivots the object engagement member 18 to flip the lid 44 at the open top 14 of the container 13 onto the tray 15 upon detection of motion by the motion sensor 19.

In use, a user may wave one's hand in front of the actuator 19 which sends a signal to the controller 20 which actuates the object engagement member 18 into engagement with the lid 44 at the open top 14 of the container 13 with the object engagement member 18 moving the lid 44 from the container 13 to the tray 15 and then retracting to its original position.

As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the object dispenser apparatus. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. 

We claim:
 1. An object dispenser apparatus comprising: a housing has a top wall and including an elongated container having an open top and adapted to store objects such as lids therein and also having a tray in communication with the container for dispensing the objects from the container; and an actuator assembly disposed in the housing for dispensing the objects one-at-a-time from the container to the tray.
 2. The object dispenser apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the tray is attached to and extends outwardly from the container and is slanted downwardly from the open top of the container to facilitate sliding of the lids for access by a user.
 3. The object dispenser apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the actuator assembly includes a biased element disposed in the container for biasing the lids to the open top of the container and also includes an elongated object engagement member adapted to engage and move the lids to the tray.
 4. The object dispenser apparatus as described in claim 3, wherein the actuator assembly further includes an actuator disposed upon the housing for actuating the object engagement member to engage and move the lids to the tray.
 5. The object dispenser apparatus as described in claim 4, wherein the actuator is a motion sensor, wherein the actuator assembly also includes a controller in communication with the motion sensor and with the object engagement member for controlling the object engagement member.
 6. The object dispenser apparatus as described in claim 5, wherein the actuator assembly further includes a track member attached to and depending from the top wall in the housing and disposed perpendicular to the container, and also includes an object engagement motor in communication with the controller and connected to the object engagement member and having a rotatable shaft with a cogged wheel mounted to the rotatable shaft and movable upon the track member to linearly move the object engagement member, whereupon detection of motion by the motion sensor, a signal is sent to the controller which actuates the object engagement motor effecting engagement of the object engagement member with the lid at the open top of the container and moving the lid onto the tray.
 7. The object dispenser apparatus as described in claim 6, wherein the object engagement member has a proximate end connected to the object engagement motor and has a distal end with a threaded bit rotatably disposed through the distal end and adapted to engage with the lid at the open top of the container.
 8. The object dispenser apparatus as described in claim 7, wherein the actuator assembly also includes a bit motor disposed in the housing and being in communication with the threaded bit for the rotation thereof.
 9. The object dispenser apparatus as described in claim 8, wherein the bit motor has a rotatable drive shaft and is also in communication with the controller, wherein the actuator assembly further includes a bit wheel engaged about the threaded bit and also includes a drive wheel disposed about the drive shaft for rotation therewith and further includes an endless belt carried about the drive wheel and the bit wheel. 